The Primal Hunter 11, page 62
Through his sphere, he also saw how paintings hung on most walls, and looking to the side, he saw one of them depicting a landscape that seemed to be in constant flux. The painting itself warped with every second, going from filled with light to entirely dark in the very next moment. He also saw that the first to the seventh floor of the atrium was a large, circular library that went the entire way around the round building.
Below him was a cellar that also seemed to extend downward for many kilometers. Down there, Jake wasn’t quite sure what he saw. Several rooms were filled with what looked like prisoners of all kinds of races, cages with beasts, and even areas filled with water or elements that housed creatures or just plants and other odd baubles. Jake was a bit confused, considering that beings with True Souls could not be submitted as Creations, but it was entirely possible that not all these things were collectibles. It was also entirely possible some of them were for the creators to “make use of” when they worked on their Creations.
All in all, it looked like the home of some mad collector who just liked shiny, weird, and sometimes highly disturbing things. The building was also utterly massive, and that was without taking into account the fact that many of the rooms and floors were spatially expanded, based on how things warped when Jake observed with his sphere.
When it came to other living beings who weren’t trapped in cages, Jake saw quite a few mulling around. However, they all stayed off to the sides, all wearing the same white robes with an insignia on the chest. It wasn’t hard to figure out these were the attendants mentioned in the system message.
Jake decided that he would go ask one of the attendants to clarify some things so as to not waste too much time… which was also when he noticed something else about this Challenge Dungeon.
No time limit.
He didn’t have any deadlines to submit anything. At least, nothing of the sort had been mentioned yet. Nevertheless, Jake saw no reason to dally as he walked toward one of the many attendants who stood off to the side of the atrium, currently working on polishing a statue depicting some kind of scaled beast.
“Excuse me,” Jake said as he went over, “are you available right now?”
Without really thinking about it, he treated the attendant as if they were the average pre-system store worker.
The attendant, who was some kind of dragonkin, quickly turned toward him and smiled. “Of course. What can I help you with, Creator?”
“I was wondering if you could answer some clarifying questions regarding this place. Mostly on how the Architect will evaluate my creations.”
“Most certainly,” she said, nodding. “What do you wish to know?”
Jake decided to start with the first question on his mind. “Am I able to submit items I created outside of here for evaluation? Say, if I made some kind of weapon in the past I believe the Architect will find impressive?”
“Unfortunately, the Architect only cares about what is created within their house,” the attendant said as she shook her head. “As the Architect often says, what truly matters isn’t only the final Creation but the method by which it was created. Every Creation is a journey that is documented by the building, and the creation process will also serve as part of the evaluation.”
“I see,” Jake said, nodding. “What if I make alterations to a current Creation and submit that? Would that be a possibility?”
“Yes, but only the alterations will be evaluated, not the full Creation,” the attendant clarified. “The Architect cares much for the journey, and having missed part of it will inevitably lead to a worsened evaluation, so unless the Creation and the alterations are truly impressive, getting a high evaluation will be difficult.”
That was a bit of a bummer, if Jake had to be honest. He would have loved to show off Eternal Hunger and even Eternal Shadow of the Primal Hunter, as you could submit even skills as Creations. Oh, and also Moment of the Primal Hunter… but maybe that was too similar to Eternal Shadow, as they both had the Primal Hunter tag? Actually, he should ask about that.
“When it is said that similar Creations are penalized, what exactly does it mean?” Jake questioned. “Let’s say I submit two bottles, where one is a mana potion, and the other is a poison that destroys mana. Will they be viewed as similar?”
“Uniqueness comes in two forms. One is the Creation itself, and the other is the method by which it was created. To truly achieve great diversity in Creations provided, there should be a difference in both of these aspects, but either will count and be looked favorably upon. In your example, both the poison and potion have many similarities in their crafting process, but the Creations themselves do vary somewhat. Overall, I believe the Architect would view there to be acceptable, if still a bit low, diversity between two such Creations. I also have to point out that the Architect appreciates improvements as part of the journey, so simply making Creations you are fully familiar with will not gain bonus points for improvement to your crafting process during the final evaluation, but do not let it push you too far away from making what you are comfortable with. The quality of the final Creation and the complexity and skill required for the crafting process is still imperative to the evaluation.” It was a pretty in-depth answer. Way more so than Jake had expected.
He thought for a bit, and while making entirely new stuff he wasn’t familiar with would give him some bonus points for improving, he ultimately decided it was best to at least stick with things he was familiar with for the most part. Deciding that now was a great time to become a super plant cultivator was definitely not the play. But he still had some questions about the diversity part.
“What about if I create a weapon using transmutation and a powerful poison? Both use alchemy, but different schools of alchemy?”
“I cannot comment on specific examples, but I would guess that transmutation and concocting poisons have more differences than concocting poisons and brewing potions. However, I cannot comment on a specific case without knowing all the details. Also, I would warn that the nature of what is transmuted shall matter much. If you transmute something crafted by others, their Records will also be part of the final Creation, worsening your evaluation. Of course, this can be made up for with a wonderfully executed transmutation, and considering a better-crafted product by another will lead to a better final Creation and a higher skill requirement to successfully transmute, you may still consider doing it.”
Okay, that made sense, and once more, the answer was quite informative. It was definitely a breath of fresh air to have a Challenge Dungeon that didn’t purposefully try to obscure information. Jake did have some more questions, but for now, he decided to ask just one.
“Final question. Will I get to keep any Creations I make when I leave here again?”
“Sadly, that is not for me to answer; only the Architect can decide such things,” the attendant said, shaking her head. “But the intangible Creations can never be taken away from you. No skill can be taken, no enlightenment can be taken back, and no improvements gained will be lost.”
It was essentially a non-answer. Jake was already pretty damn sure the system would not outright take a skill from him, much less wipe his memory of the Challenge Dungeon and what he had achieved. That would make the entire place meaningless.
Now, if only he could also get experience in the Challenge Dungeon, he would be golden. He just had to figure out if he could… so…
“Actually, final, final question,” Jake said as he grabbed back the attention of the attendant, who was turning away to continue wiping down the already-pristine statue. “Can I get experience points here?”
“You can most certainly gain experience,” the attendant answered. Jake got the feeling she didn’t really answer, though.
“So I can level up?”
“You can level up your creative process and abilities as a creator for sure.”
“So... that’s a no,” Jake muttered to himself.
Why in the living hell did these Challenge Dungeons not give any experience? He also hadn’t gained a single level in Minaga’s Labyrinth, even if he had killed a few gatekeepers. Not that many, mind you, but it had never said he got any experience when they died. Sure, that could have been because they were just summons bound to the barriers and that this one would give some, but alas, it wasn’t gonna be that way.
Having gotten all the answers he needed for now, Jake decided to do something he rarely did. He sat down and began to formulate a plan for the Challenge Dungeon. He couldn’t just rush through this and do everything purely based on his instincts this time around; he had to actually use some brainpower.
From what Jake had gathered, three things were important when it came to his Creations. The first of which was naturally the requirement for there to be diversity. The second one was the complexity and difficulty of the crafting process. Finally, the quality—likely expressed through rarity—of the final Creation.
Thinking about it, ten Creations was kind of a lot, especially if you shouldn’t submit similar things. Unsure exactly what he planned to do, Jake sat down and decided to write out a list of ten things he could make. However, he quickly ran into some problems when trying to keep things relatively diverse, ending up with a list that, while useful, couldn’t exactly be called a plan of action.
Looking down at the paper, he sighed as he read over the options he had come up with on the fly.
1. A poison, using either Hemotoxins, Neurotoxins, or Necrotic Poison, mixed with soul-based poison and plenty of Blood of the Malefic Viper. Potentially try a mix of all the different toxins for maximum effect.
2. Something transmutation-based.
3. Maybe elixir?
4. Grimoire
5. Use Teachings of the Heretic-Chosen for something?
6. Skill-related thing. Based on magic and mana.
7. Skill-related thing. Based on archery or melee combat and stamina.
8. Origin-related Creation. This may be done during one of the prior Creations.
9. Something weird Bloodline-related?
10. Ritual stuff.
So… yeah, things could be a bit more concrete, and Jake was sure he had missed something obvious. Jake wouldn’t call himself super creative, as most of the unique Creations he made were something he kind of stumbled into. He hoped that could happen again inside this Challenge Dungeon, but if not, he would just have to make do with what he was confident in already making.
One very notable option Jake had put on there was the Grimoire one. When Jake had evolved to C-grade, he had also gained the ability to create Grimoires related to his path as a Heretic-Chosen Alchemist, and quite frankly, Jake had no idea what to use that skill for. At least, he hadn’t until now.
A damn Grimoire granting a profession or class related to a Path that the system called unique quite a few times had to give a lot of bonus points for diversity and uniqueness both, right? Jake had also never made one before, so he would get bonus points for learning something new. Finally, Jake also believed the final product would be of high quality, making the Grimoire one of his trump cards for this dungeon. He considered using a bit of Jake Juice to spice it up but ultimately decided to put that plan on hold.
First of all, he was pretty much still out after his fight with Valdemar. He could feel a bit of it had recovered, but a few years just wasn’t enough for him to get much back. Even if Jake felt he had gained quite a bit from the level-ups after visiting the divine streaming party, he was still pretty darn low.
Secondly, Jake believed he could make a pretty good Grimoire without using any of his unique energy. It also wasn’t even certain it would improve the Grimoire much in the first place. If his Origin Energy made something “return to Origin,” what effect would it have on something where Jake was already the Origin? Jake didn’t feel like wasting his limited energy on the answer.
Jake would still use his Origin Energy, mind you, just somewhere else or maybe through some wholly unique creations. Who knows—maybe just a bit of the energy itself could be submitted as a Creation?
However, before he began to do any of that, one thing still bothered him. The attendant had not said Jake would necessarily get back all his Creations and be allowed to leave with them, which begged the question: where would they go?
Who would see them?
Because Jake wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to hand over or even show things that included many of his deep-rooted secrets to the Wyrmgod. Especially not ones related to being a Heretic and whatnot.
So that was definitely something he had to ask this Architect about… though, of course, that was also another question in and of itself.
Who exactly was this Architect?
Chapter 70
Nevermore
Throughout Nevermore, Jake had encountered quite a few gods. He had been recorded both visually and otherwise by the dungeon and system as he made his way through the floors and Challenge Dungeons. However, despite this, he still felt like much about him still wasn’t shared. As if the system put up certain barriers of information not even the Wyrmgod could see.
Others had suspicions and theories, but they didn’t know. Minaga’s lack of fully knowing how Jake overcame his labyrinth was prime proof of this. The Wyrmgod asking Jake about Bloodline-related stuff when he’d been summoned to the streaming room also served as further proof that while Jake was analyzed from head to toe, some things weren’t revealed.
But… what if Jake handed over a sample filled with his Records? Especially if he made an item related to his Origin Energy or his Path as a Heretic-Chosen? Surely, that could cause some problems, right? Even if the system had some rules within Nevermore, they could just take these items or samples outside and figure Jake out there.
Also, on a side note, Jake didn’t understand how no one had called him out for being a Heretic yet. Jake had done all his usual Heretic stuff while in front of other gods and the Viper, but everyone had just seemed fine and chill with it. Alright, sure, he could get no one calling him out publicly with his Patron right there, but they at least had to be thinking in their minds that Jake was a damn Heretic, right?
Probably. Or maybe they thought Jake was just putting on an act or following the will of the Viper. In either case, confirming to them he was indeed a Heretic, even if he was also a Chosen, seemed like a stupid idea.
This begged the question of whether Jake had to hold back in his Challenge Dungeon out of fear that he would reveal something he really shouldn’t. Of course, he would only need to do that if the items and information scanned during the crafting process were given to the Wyrmgod or others.
Right now, Jake felt the usual observation of the Wyrmgod, who was likely streaming Jake’s activity to the other gods present. With this, it could be confirmed that everything happening in this dungeon wasn’t confidential.
Alas, Jake could not make a decision before he knew for sure what would happen with the items or the information he handed in for evaluation. Thus, he did the only thing that made sense and went straight to the owner of the house to ask about just that.
At the very top of the atrium, on the highest floor, was a section Jake could not see at all due to it being cut off by spatial distortion. His guts told him that was where the Architect resided, and after confirming with an attendant, Jake flew straight up.
Up there, the entire pathway was empty. There weren’t any attendants anywhere, and even the walls were void of décor. The only thing was a single wooden door that totally obscured what lay beyond it. However, the nametag saying “Architect” was a subtle clue.
Flying over, he landed in front of it, and as he did, something odd happened. The door began to open by itself, and right as it did, he felt the gaze of the Wyrmgod disappear, having seemingly been cut off. Jake was surprised as he looked through the newly opened door and saw a smallish hall where the only thing of note was someone sitting in the center.
Jake observed a woman that looked vaguely human but clearly wasn’t staring right back at him. Her skin was an odd ashen gray, making her eyes stand out even more. One was golden like the sun, while the other remained black as the void itself. Her head was entirely bald and covered with an elaborate tattoo of some kind. She wore a tight-fitting suit, and in all honesty, Jake wouldn’t have been able to pin her as a woman if not for the system message and attendants mentioning she was one due to her androgynous looks. In some ways, her looks reminded Jake a bit about the system entity he had seen, but that was probably because of what he felt from her gaze.
It put him on edge. He felt like she saw everything. Far more than she should be able to. Villy had the same look at times, but this woman—her gaze was something else. Like he could not keep a single secret in front of her.
“Welcome, Jake Thayne,” she greeted him with a small bow of her head. “You have caused quite the stir, and seeing you now, I am beginning to understand why.”
“Thank you for having me,” Jake said while bowing slightly and walking into the room properly as the woman’s eyes continued to pierce straight through him. “Are… Are you the Architect?”
“That is the role I am playing right now, yes.” She nodded. “A temporary title, if you will. Now, come. You are here to ask me questions, are you not?”
Jake slowly nodded as he tried really hard to get a read on the entity in front of him. Tried and failed. She felt wrong to his senses, and no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t truly detect how strong she was. What’s more… his Sphere of Perception didn’t pick her up properly, and that had only happened with one other thing before, although it was to a lesser degree with this woman. Figuring out the Architect wasn’t why he was there, though.
“I was wondering… what happens to the Creations I submit?” Jake asked. “Who will see the full analysis related to them?”
